Labour: We’ll dump ludicrous ban on books for prisoners

Financial plan: Sadiq Khan said he “would jump at the chance” of being Mayor Alex Lentati

The Labour Party today vowed to reverse a ban on prisoners being sent books. Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan called the restriction “plainly ridiculous”.

In a speech in London tomorrow, he will say: “Putting obstacles in the way of prisoners being able to read books is ludicrous…

“Educational levels in prisons are a national disgrace — 40 per cent of those behind bars have the reading age of an 11-year-old.” He pledged to review Justice Secretary Chris Grayling’s Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme.

Prisons minister Jeremy Wright said restricting small packages being sent into jail was “sensible”. Inmates could visit prison libraries or use earnings from jail work to buy books, he added.

Mr Grayling hit back at Mr Khan today, saying: “Prison staff have worked extremely hard to bear down on the amount of illegal material in our prisons.”